Juliana
Banse is a rare visitor to these shores, but her reputation precedes her. An
impressive debut recording of concert arias made quite an impression when it
was released here a few years ago, leading many, myself included, to follow her
opera career in German houses with great interest. Her accompanist this evening
is also an established recording artist who has made precious few appearances
on the London stage. Martin Helmschen’s concerto recordings on PentaTone have
garnered much well-deserved praise, and present him as a distinctive musician
able to give convincing and personal perspectives on repertoire both mainstream
and obscure. So expectations ran high.

Some
of them were met and some of them were not, but the artistry and personality of
both singer and pianist made this a memorable evening. The programme was
standard Wigmore fare: well-known Wolf – Mörike songs and Mignon-Lieder, and
slightly obscure Schubert – Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre and Der König in Thule,
among others. It’s all music that needs personality, emotion and high level of
artistry, and on those criteria it all succeeded.

Banse,
though, was not on top form. The occasional cough between songs suggested that
she was bravely attempting to conceal some minor respiratory condition. That
impression was also supported by occasional horse notes, poorly controlled crescendos
and a shrill tone on many of the top notes. Were it not for the contrast
between her performance this evening and those on her recordings, these defects
may have gone unnoticed, but, good as this performance was, it did not show her
at her best.

But
these are technical issues only, and the artistry of her singing was not
affected. Banse has a very aristocratic sound, old-fashioned in all the best
senses. She has round, plummy vowels and is able to project well on almost any
letter: the resonance she achieves on ‘m’s and ‘n’s is particularly impressive.
Vibrato is reserved for the very ends of long notes at the ends of phrases, and
a wide range of colours and tones is employed to give variety even within
individual phrases.

The
chosen repertoire gave Martin Helmchen many chances to shine. He is able to
draw a rounder and warmer sound from the Wigmore Steinway than most can manage,
and even when he reaches grand climaxes, the precision and evenness of his
touch are never in doubt. He is as much a soloist as he is an accompanist in
these works, which is exactly what Wolf and Schubert demand. He and Banse are
happy to allow each other their rubato, with the two of them often moving in
and out of synchronisation to good expressive effect.

Wolf
proved the better music for Helmchen, while Banse was better suited to
Schubert. The pianist’s warm tone and liberal expressive approach is more fin
de siècle than it is Classical, while the aristocratic refinement of Banse’s
singing sits better in the long 18th century. Her intonation was
occasionally suspect, but this may have been down to the cold as well.

The
concert ended on a high with Wolf’s Mignon-Lieder. The vocal line here is
predominantly in the lower register, where Banse’s affliction mattered little.
And despite her more reserved approach, the passionate and often pained
lyricism was communicated well. Helmschen’s artistry was shown off to good
effect by the virtuosic accompaniments, which almost became character pieces
under his hands.

An
interesting concert, then, and one that gave London audiences a rare and
welcome chance to get to know the work of these two musicians. But it was frustrating
too, as it was clear throughout that Banse is capable of so much more, but
wasn’t able to deliver on the night.

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Gavin Dixon is a writer, journalist, editor and blogger specialising in classical music. He writes reviews and articles for a number of publications and websites. Gavin has a PhD on the Symphonies of Alfred Schnittke and is currently a Visiting Research Fellow at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is also a member of the editorial team behind the ‘Alfred Schnittke Collected Works’ edition, which recently began publication in St Petersburg. More information on Gavin’s writing activities can be found at his website: www.gavindixon.info